Nick Clegg is facing calls to stand down as the Liberal Democrat leader to
prevent disillusioned voters punishing his party further.

Millions deserted the Lib Dems in local elections on Thursday leaving the Deputy Prime Minister under severe pressure.

Local leaders demanded that Mr Clegg pay the price after his party lost hundreds of councillors and did dismally in Scotland and Wales.

Ken Ball, the leader of the Lib Dems on Chorley council, Lancs, who lost control to the Tories, accused Mr Clegg of “letting the party down”. He added: “Nick Clegg has put us back 40 years. After these elections I hope somebody takes his place. He’s been a bad PR exercise.”

Gary Long, the ousted party leader on Nottingham council, said: “I’m in favour of the Coalition but I think he’s run it very badly and in my view he should resign immediately.”

Simon Ashley, the defeated Lib Dem leader in Manchester, added: “Many good Lib Dem councillors have lost their seats because we have been punished for being in national government.”

The loss of Sheffield council must have hurt Mr Clegg deeply. He will not have been pleased to hear Simon Hughes, the deputy Lib Dem leader, specifically blame him for the defection of what had been a stronghold. Mr Hughes said: “It’s Nick Clegg’s seat. Let’s be honest, any anti-Nick views will be amplified in Sheffield. Nick has become the issue in Sheffield.”

He said: “I think clearly what happened last night was that in especially those parts of the country, Scotland, Wales, the great cities of the North where there are real anxieties about the deficit reduction plans that we’re having to put in place, we’re clearly getting the brunt of the blame.

“And I think for many families in those parts of the country, especially, there are also some very strong memories of what life was like under Thatcherism in the 1980s and somehow a theory that that’s what we’re returning to.

“And what we need to do is redouble our efforts to not only explain but show that precisely one of the reasons that the Liberal Democrats are in government is so that we don’t go backwards as a country, but that we go forwards.”

Some Conservative MPs are likely to find Mr Clegg’s reaction offensive. However, most will simply be pleased that the threat of changing the voting system has been seen off. Next week Mr Clegg will appear alongside David Cameron at an event designed to show that the two men have put their differences over AV behind them.

Party insiders were making no attempt last night to disguise the possible consequences of losing so many Lib Dem local councillors. Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said it was “very disappointing”.

The party in the North had been trounced by Labour, although nationally Mr Alexander said that Ed Miliband’s party had underperformed.

He said: “Independent predictions … were saying that Labour needed to gain 1,000 seats to meet expectations. It’s worth also saying that Michael Foot gained 1,000 seats in 1981 and then went to a crushing defeat in 1983 so whilst it’s important and significant for those that have lost their seats, I don’t think that you can read as much into it as people will.”